EAGER — The No. 9-ranked Valley (Sanders) girls basketball team claimed a 2A North Region Basketball Tournament title with a 61-52 upset victory over No. 6 St. Johns on Saturday night.

It was the sixth-straight win for Pirates (16-9, 13-2 2A North), which were 0-2 against St. Johns during the regular season, losing 79-53 on Jan. 9 and again on Jan. 24, 68-49.

Ellie Heap scored 16 points on 7 of 16 shooting, including four 3-pointers, for St. Johns (22-9, 12-2 2A North), Josie Overson grabbed 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.

Kaelynn Nez leads Valley (Sanders) in scoring with 20.4 points per game this season.

The Pirates quickly dispatched of Greyhills Academy 73-13 in the tournament’s opening round Feb. 2, then took care of business against Round Valley (56-40) in the semifinals to face St. Johns for the title.

OTHER SCORES

2A North Region Girls Basketball Tournament

Round One

Thursday, Feb. 2

No. 4 Many Farms 33, No. 5 Hopi 30

No. 3 Round Valley 52, No. 6 Pinon 36

No. 2 Valley (Sanders) 73, No. 7 Greyhills 13

Tournament Semifinals

Friday, Feb. 3

No. 1 St. Johns 48, No. 4 Many Farms 23

No. 2 Valley (Sanders) 56, No. 3 Round Valley 40

Tournament Finals

Saturday, Feb. 4

No. 2 Valley (Sanders) 61, No. 1 St. Johns 52

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.